An Odd Encounter In Vegas
by FlowerofAdversity
Summary: A warlock named Algernon is up to some nasty tricks to subdue the world under his control and destroy the entire Universe as we know it, but not if Odd has anything to say about it. Will he be able to convince Harry that there's a warlock loose and vying for ultimate destruction of all we hold dear ?
1. Chapter 1

An Odd Encounter in Vegas

Synopsis: Not having any cases to work for a while, Harry Dresden takes a vacation to Las Vegas, NV. There he runs into Odd Thomas. It seems fate has thrown these two together. For what purpose, neither of them knows other than the unusual dreams Odd has been having. Turns out a mercurial warlock named Algernon Cygnus is mucking around with the fabric of space-time for fun and turning leigons of civil war veterans long since dead into his zombie lackeys for world domination.

Chapter 1-Suspended Animation

Odd Thomas was supposed to have died, but it seemed as if he had been floating through something akin to gelatin, but more viscous. It was unusual and gross, much like ectoplasm. Odd had experience with the medium and it wasn't his favorite thing, especially not to be suspended in.

'If this is someone's idea of a cruel cosmic joke _I_ am not laughing, ok ?', he said to a presense he wasn't certain heard his inquiry or not. Odd was not in the best of moods but it wasn't irrational of him to feel this way. No one likes to be trapped in slimy goo to the point of paralysis.

'You will soon come to find the answers yourself, odd one.', an ominous voice replied. Odd felt like he should've slapped himself for having spoken aloud in anger.

'Just leave me alone. I have no part in whatever it is you are plotting. Maybe we can chat about this like grown-ups ?', Odd said, optimistic that the manic voice would be reasonable and perhaps come to some sort of consensus with him.

'Don't pander to me, mortal. I have no time for your pitiful ramblings. As I said before, soon enough, you will know me and then you will truly fear me.', the voice said before Odd felt a surge of power _slam_ against him and knock the wind out of him. It was so powerful that he blacked out due to the sheer force of the wind or _whatever _it had been hit him. He tried to will himself to awaken, but it was no use, he was out cold.

'Well, this is just dandy.', he thought to himself. He also wished that at times he could keep his big mouth shut. It was the one thing that got him into trouble more than any other action he had ever taken alive, dead, or whatever the dickens he was now.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2-Dresden in Vegas

Harry Dresden was on his way to Vegas, thinking nothing out of sorts was afoot. Bob had been under the watchful eye of Thomas, who had set him up with every raunchy romance novel he could get his hands on. Little did Bob know that the novels were purchased during a recently providential yard sale. Bob wasn't picky though, he just adored his lusty, luscivious, bawdy tales of seduction, sedition, sex, sex and more sex.

The first chance Harry got a chance to call home was when he had gotten to the hotel room. He had gotten a lower class room without all the amenities thanks to his penchant for causing electronics to fizzle out whenever he walked by. It wasn't the Ritz, but it was comfortable and it would do for the week. Fortunately, the pay phone he was calling from didn't really react the way most modern day convieniences did by sparking and shorting out.

'Was your drive safe ?', Thomas inquired.

'Yeah, certainly. Lots of flat land. Kind of boring until you see the dazzling lights. I wouldn't want to see this city's electric bill, sheesh.', Harry answered. He actually sounded and _felt _happy for once. Tomorrow would be the day he'd go to the casino. Maybe he would get lucky? Only time and fate would tell.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3-Permeating Harry's Dreams

Odd knew he had to get to someone and fast. He didn't know who or _what_ he was dealing with, but whatever had reanimated him wasn't anything worth toying with or angering. He tried to get people's attention but it was as if they saw right through him.

'Oh _great_. So, now I'm the living dead. Magnificent. Either that or a ghost of some sort.', he mused to himself, currently not pleased with his condition. Then again, who would be ?

Odd noticed someone having unbelievable, even _incredible_ luck with a one-armed bandit. It was almost as if he didn't have to do anything in order to win but just touch the machine and it would spit out obligitory tokens. He had never seen anything so incredible before. He was certain that this particular man was special, but he wasn't sure of how. The man in black took his winnings to the counter and cashed in before he was sucked in by any other tempting games the casino offered.

'Enigmatic _and _strategic. This man is really a class act.', Odd thought to himself, studying the unusual person closer. He went to see a magic act, which he laughed and scoffed at mostly, viewed a very intense and lovely performance of Circe de Soleil's latest and then retreated to his room to rest for the night. Since he knew the mind was more susceptible to the supernatural and ethereal than in waking life.

Harry had been experiencing a very pleasant dream until he was approached by Odd.

'You're not Angelina Jolie !', Harry said, disappointed that his fantasy had dissipated so rapidly.

'What I have to say is more important than all of your fantasies put together. My name is Odd Thomas. I'm in a state of suspended animation but I am not sure who was able to make me that way. I don't know who's behind it but seeing and observing your natural talents I had to come to the conclusion that you might in fact, be magical yourself.', Odd said.

'I have heard of you Odd. Name's Harry, and your deduction was flawless. I am, in fact, a warlock. Not the maniacal, pyschotic types so aptly portrayed in film and fantasy literature, but I _do _think that you do have a warlock problem.', Harry said. He had mentioned that he felt Odd's presense before and knew he was around. He was sensitive to such paranormal happenstances that it came as 'normal' and 'natural' for him. Odd could definitely relate.

'I'm going to do a bit of digging. Inasmuch as I don't want to cut into my vacation time, I am going to anyway. I feel if I don't it could be catastrophic. Warlocks are one entity you don't want to piss off.', Harry said. With that, the two had left and begun combing the area for potential suspects. Many weren't very accepting of being profiled but most understood that this was part of 'police business' and mainly for the safety of the general public.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4-Messing With Time

Algernon Cygnus was highly bemused and amused at Harry's search he started to become tense when Harry finally found information about him. He had thought he ingrained his intellectual property well enough with runes and spells that no one, not even the government, coudl trace him. He had faked his death so long ego to avoid taxes and was living high off the hog somewhere in the mountains of Switzerland unbeknownst to anyone but himself. He thought perhaps he had been overconfident and possibly a bit careless with his background information.

'At last, I find out who you really are. He has the ability to tamper with space/time. Holy shit...This guy is no laughing matter.', Harry said, a bit subdued.

'This is the one who manipulated my state. All I ask for is the bliss I knew before. I was happy with Stormy on the other side.', Odd complained.

'Don't worry, with our combined intellect we'll think of something.', Harry reassured him. Just then before Algernon could turn back the clock, Harry intonated a sacred chant for them not to forget what they had uncovered and to sleep on the formula for besting the warlock that currently had them under his thumb.

Algernon chuckled.

'Nothing you do is worth anything, you dolts !', he thought to himself, not realizing Harry had felt the warlock's attack in advance. The clock had already been wound back to the past and Odd was wandering around Vegas trying to find Harry Dresden once more. Somehow, someway, he would unite with him and stop this crazed lunatic before everything went berserk.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5-Common Ground

Harry had called Algernon out for being a coward and not facing them on their own terms.

'It's not really fair when you can just fiddle with time by flexing your index finger. We might already be bested and simply don't know it. Can we at least form a truce ? No one has to get hurt and you walk away a winner.', Harry mentioned.

Odd had already drawn an alchemist's circle around Algernon. It was heavily fortified with candles pure and white, blazing with holy fire. There was no way that Algernon could break this confinement, even if he tried, because dark was suseptible to light. He had never even seen it coming and he had fallen for the oldest trick in the book. Flattery often got necromancers into tight situations as these and he had only begun playing with mortal's lives and savoring it. Having it come to an end so soon rather miffed him, but he was powerless to escape the binding of the circle.

'Damn you, you cheated. Both of you.', he said, being brought to his knees by the sheer power of the white magic itself. He was still a very formidable warlock and he willed himself to stand up straight in their presense. He was quite a towering maelstrom in and of himself. His eyes bore into their very hearts, doing its best to strike fear into them. Both of them had seen things that would make a normal human being run for cover and hide for months. This was routine for the duo who, although shaken to their core inwardly, showed no sign of budging or backing down. Algernon tried his utmost to unleash a hellish spell but no matter how much he pushed, the white magic had weakened him too much. He felt his strength beginning to wane and his life ebbing away.

'I admit I misjudged the two of you poorly and I regret it.', he said, a bit bitingly. His compliment sounded sarcastic in their ears, but they were happy to take it.

By keeping the flames of the candles lit, Harry was able to cast one final spell to end Algernon for good and with a final burst of light, the warlock simply burned away into nothingness.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6-Rest In Peace

Though the battle had been exhausting the world was free one more megalomeniacal warlock with genocidic tendencies.

'You didn't know each other, did you ?', Odd questioned, thinking it silly he had poised it anyway.

'No, unlike a lot of people like to believe, many warlocks don't know each other. We tend to be hermits at times.', Harry confessed. Contrary to popular belief, warlocks worked better when they were alone, but Harry was an exception to that rule. Apparently, Algernon had taught himself and become so consumed with necromancy that it twisted him and formed him into an abomination that lacked any milk of humanity whatsoever.

'Your help was invaluable. Pity you're no longer of the living, I would've enjoyed working more cases with you. You have such grand insight. I regret saying this, but I'm going to miss you, pal.', Harry said. He found himself actually hugging the man who had stopped a madman dead in his tracks by arcane knowledge most people would have no clue about.

'Thank you. What you said is rather lofty praise, but I will take it any day. Now if you excuse me, Stormy is waiting for me on the other side.', Odd said. Harry only hoped if the 'other side' he was talking about really existed. If it did, one day, he knew he would get to meet this mysterious other half that Odd spoke so fondly of.

With one final shake of his hand, Odd said his last farewell to Harry. Odd smiled the more he was pulled back up to heaven, and rather rapidly at that. Harry had always thought it would be a slow, lumbersome process but since it was light, it only made sense he was here one second and then simply, gone, the next. All that was left now were motes of dust dancing daintily in the light that eventually died down.


	7. Chapter 7

Epilogue

What immense winnings he had cashed in upon leaving were enough for him to refurbish his old car and make some repairs to his home. Thomas was quite impressed. He knew that his brother was lucky but never this fortunate. Harry would never forget Odd Thomas and hoped to visit Pico Mundo someday when he wasn't investigating. He couldn't help but smile remembering his unusual friend and thought about the joy he must be feeling now. It was probably much better than having an amassive amount of money but even so, Harry felt a deep sense of calm having saved the world and many other universes from a fate worse than death once more.

The End


End file.
